


Into the Woods (Novel)

by JanessaWolfSoul



Category: Original Work
Genre: Beauty and the Beast Elements, Dark Fantasy, Dark Magic, Druids, Elemental Magic, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Loving Marriage, Magic-Users, Magical Bond, Magical Realism, Major Original Character(s), Marriage of Convenience, Nature Magic, Nature Versus Nurture, Older Man/Younger Woman, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, POV Original Character, POV Third Person, Prisoner of War, Romance, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Esteem Issues, Warlocks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 02:46:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18379349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JanessaWolfSoul/pseuds/JanessaWolfSoul
Summary: One Druid and One Warlock go head - to - head with one another when the Warlock had decided that he was marrying her sister. A girl who hadn't reached her full magical maturity yet.Renae Forrester is a Druidess who had narrowly escaped the clutches of the Warlock's attack on her colony. Now, when he had finally caught up to her, a deal was struck - she came with him willingly to be picked among other young and powerful Druidesses to be his bride or suffer his wrath and have her entire family killed. Not realizing that he had already captured her sister, she accepted.When the time came for the Warlock to chose her sister as his future wife, she fought tooth and nail until she stroke another deal - wait until her sister reaches 21 years before marrying her. Court her, treat her well and have them adjust and grow before it ends in disaster. He accepted.Throughout this whole process, Renae had unexpectantly caught the eye of the Warlock Chieftain's righthand man and advisor. At 20-winters-old and having only one courtship that ended in disaster, Renae has no idea on how to react to the ever-changing situation. What is she to do now?





	Into the Woods (Novel)

Introduction

Blue eyes against that of gray. One gaze filled with anticipation and fear while the other is filled with guarded intensity. Pale fingers tightened around the six-foot-long maple rod placed defensively in front and vibrated with saturated energy. Long golden brown curls swayed with the chilly wind against an oval-shaped face housing elegantly classical features; high cheekbones, full cheeks, small full lips, a short aristocratic nose, and deep, dark blue-green eyes that were wide with strong emotions.

A deep, dark chuckle escaped a pair of thin lips as they turned up in a sharp smirk while stretching dangerously attractive features. It sent shivers down their spines all with different reactions to the situation. The darkened yew that rested in his large yet elegant hands was easily a foot taller than him and radiated power so deadly, sickly, and poisonous that it was not mistaking how exactly was standing in front of her.

“So, this is the young druid they seek to hide from me. How quaint.” Words so simple yet so full of implications that it was hard to pinpoint just one of them. His tone of voice was silky, smooth and full of masculinity. His pale olive tones rested well against the darkened and charred surface of his yew staff; handsome aristocratic features rested upon his strong face framed with voluminous, thick, nearly black curls; slate gray eyes hardened into stone speared themselves into her own making it very hard to maintain eye contact with the intensity behind them.

She gulped as her senses were on red alert while her magic was dwelling just below her skin ready to be released at a moments notice. Not a word escaped her mouth in response to his rhetorical statement. It was answer enough that he managed to find her when others have failed to do so.

Standing behind him was seven additional men of various heights and sizes, but did not matter as they shared the same menacing demeanor and dark magic, no matter how differentiating in power levels that may be, as their leader. Said leader’s eyes have not left her person since arriving in the foggy woods that she has resided since her escape. What did he want? He could not possibly want her as a means against her fellow druids. No, they as warlocks already had all the power they could want at their fingertips, no matter had dark and dangerous it is.

“Why?” It took all of her courage just to say that one word before her throat closed in on itself. Her voice was …… unique in its ability to easily mimic other sounds heard. Warm, slightly husky, and mature was her natural voice tone and pitch; one that she used just now.

She saw his eyes narrow and darken with untold emotions at the sound of her voice. A reaction that she is not familiar with whatsoever.

“That, lovely druid, is why you should have stayed at your colony. You would have then heard the conditions I had set for your people.” She could feel her eyebrows furrow and her lips frown in response to her deep confusion; maybe even her head tilt to the left just a bit just as it has always done. “A ceasefire has been established. The conditions were that _**all**_ young, powerful druid women were to be shown to me as a way from to keep their lives.”

That’s where she finally connected the dots and felt her widening eyes react to her realization. “You wanted to take one of them as your bride.”

If at all possible, those slate gray eyes darkened even more as his smirk became a little more prominent. “That’s correct. And when they made the mistake of hoarding you from me. Well, I gave them a very specific timeline before I came hunting for you myself. It was only a matter of time after that.”

Once again, the young druid gulped as she fiddled with the shaft of her golden maple staff. It’s gentle, encouraging power gave her a sense of security and comfort outside in the dark, foggy wood. Especially, with the warlock chieftain and his inner circle standing a mere few yards away.

It was stupid to ask a very obvious question – what would happen if she refused? Simple, he would kill, maim, and torture her colony however he seemed fit until she complied to his wishes. She wasn’t stupid or oblivious to her current situation and was, for a fact, no heroic martyr either. So, there’s only one thing she could say, “I’ll go with you.”

Whether he was shocked, surprised, or amused did not show from behind his stony mask; however, it showed in various degrees on his follower’s faces.

“Excellent.” It was a simple word once again filled with heavy implications that were hard to pin down properly. Her skin burned as his gaze roamed over her hefty, voluptuous figure causing all sorts of sensations that she never thought possible. Pushing the fog away from her mind she focused on the warlock and not her own internal inhibitions. “What are you called, lovely druid?”

Extreme confusion came to the forefront as she decided it was best to answer him, “My whole name or just my first and last?”

He took calculated steps towards her as she stood firm yet tried to make her overly curvy frame to become smaller than itself. Narrowed gray eyes told her of his slight displeasure and interest in her subconsciously ingrained actions. It didn’t break her out of it though not after so long of doing this small yet meaningful gesture.

“Your full name.” Simple words yet not so simple at the same time. Staring into those powerful, dangerous eyes, she, very reluctantly, complied.

“Renae Shenandoah Forrester.” His darkened eyes gleamed brightly with a sharp contrast to how they were before. They were now only a yard apart from each other enough that she could see the faint aging in his handsome face and could only wonder just how much older he is compared to her.

It was also then that the young druid felt reality sink in and realized that … _she was going_ _with_ _the enemy of her people, the Warlock Chieftain,_ _compliantly_ _._

What is she going to do now?


End file.
